


A Dancing Lesson

by likethenight



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Dancing Lessons, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 09:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4474757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likethenight/pseuds/likethenight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve needs to learn to dance. Bucky's already taught him once, but that was before the serum and Steve kind of needs to learn all over again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Dancing Lesson

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written last year sometime, probably in response to a post on Tumblr, although I can't now find the details. It's unbetaed and un-US-picked - although I've done my best to pick things up, I'm aware that it probably still has a good few Britishisms in it. I'm open to US-picking on this one!

"Buck, I gotta ask you something," Steve says, a little hesitantly, and Bucky glances over at him with a slightly quizzical frown.

"Like what?" Bucky asks in reply, and Steve looks at his feet, shuffles them a little bit.

"Well, I kinda…I kinda sorta want to ask someone to dance, but I also kinda sorta don't know how."

"Sure you know how, I taught you back in Brooklyn, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but…that was then. Before. I don't know where to put my feet or anything any more. Besides, I wasn't any good at it back then, either."

Bucky laughs, an amused, full-throated chuckle that's the first laugh Steve's heard from him since he sprang him from that lab in Austria. "You weren't, at that. So, this someone you wanna dance with, would this be a dame?"

"Yeah," Steve says, still looking at his feet.

"Would this dame be going by the name of Agent Don't Look At Me That Way Or I'll Kick Your Ass Into Next Week Carter, by any chance?"

Steve lets out a burst of laughter despite himself, and nods, looking sheepish. 

"Oh boy, you are screwed. So you want me to teach you how to dance? Or at least, how not to tread on the poor woman's toes because she'll be needing them to kick all our asses next time we screw up?"

"Pretty much," says Steve, and Bucky grins. 

"Come on, then. Let's go find someplace quiet." 

So the two of them head off to the edge of the camp, behind a tent and almost under the trees, and Bucky does his best to teach Steve to dance. They haven't got a record player of course, or even a radio, but Bucky hums Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman under his breath, and it's almost good enough. The teaching part isn't easy, partly because Steve still hasn't quite gotten used to his new form, big and awkward when it comes to delicate movements though he's fine in a fight; and partly because Bucky keeps forgetting that it's Steve who's supposed to be leading, since all his own dancing experience has most definitely been in the lead.

"Though knowing Agent I'll Kick Your Ass as we do, I'm sure she'll be able to lead if you can't," Bucky mutters as Steve steps on his toes for the twentieth time, and Steve apologises yet again. "Shut up," Bucky tells him, not unkindly, "pay attention and you'll be fine. Reckon she likes you well enough that you don't need to impress her much anyway."

"You think so?" Steve says, managing to twirl Bucky and not wrench his arm from his socket, then gathering him in close without stepping on his feet. 

"Plain as the nose on your face," Bucky grins. "See, you're getting it. Lemme teach you a coupla moves'll have her liking you even more. You go like this…then like this…"

Steve earnestly follows his instructions, and manages to dip Bucky backwards and pull him back up again without dropping him, and then almost does drop him as a sudden burst of applause and whooping breaks the quiet of their concentration. Both their heads snap in the direction of the noise, only to see the rest of their comrades in the Howling Commandos all perched on boxes and barrels, yelling with laughter and clapping fit to bust. Dum Dum is holding a bowl of popcorn, though where he got it is anyone's guess, Gabe and Dernier and Morita are stuffing their faces with it, and Falsworth is leaning casually against the tent post, smiling widely.

"Captain," says Falsworth, "if the good Agent isn't impressed, I'll eat my beret."

Steve draws himself up, can't show the boys how embarrassed he is, not this early in their career together, at least, but before he can say anything, Bucky steps in.

"Well, she ought to be, I taught him and I'm the best dancer in New York. Just ask anyone."

"Any girl, you mean," Steve can't help adding, and the look on Bucky's face isn't even a little bit ashamed, and Steve has to smile, because Bucky's been so quiet since they brought him back, so haunted, and maybe this means that he's on his way to being himself again. Steve really hopes so. He'd give up any number of dances with Agent Carter if it meant Bucky would be all right.


End file.
